Enhancing data consistency in ATLAS and CERN HR databases through automated synchronization

Abstract

As the largest particle physics laboratory in the world, it is no surprise that CERN has a vast network of thousands of collaborators spread globally. Among CERN’s experiments, ATLAS stands out with over 6,000 active members and 300 associate institutes. This extensive community must go through the standard registering and maintenance procedures within CERN’s human resources database, called Foundation. Simultaneously, the Glance system, among other specific functions, also aims to fulfill the same objectives within the context of different CERN experiments, such as ATLAS, LHCb and ALICE. It achieves that by having its own database. Since members need to exist in the two databases, a lot of data was being duplicated. Manual updates by the ATLAS secretariat became necessary to maintain consistency over members and institutes data, such as names, employment information and authorship status. Today, the Glance system undergoes a transformative process to redefine its relationship with Foundation. The goal is to eliminate duplication of data by establishing a single source of truth. At the same time, the automation of a series of internal processes will be made to ensure synchronization between the two databases at all times, thus removing the need for manual intervention from the ATLAS secretariat. This requires some restructuring to Glance’s database, updates to the code and overall implementation of new tools that facilitate seamless communication with Foundation.